Taking Second Place
by Seken
Summary: "I pray you, do not fall in love with me, For I am falser than vows made in wine" -Shakespeare. First attempt at a full length story. SasorixOC. Rated for some language courtesy of Deidara and Hidan . Constructive criticism is welcome and appeciated.
1. Beginnings

**Author's Note - ****  
****Now as a rule, I don't like writing Ocs into stories. This was actually a story I was writing for a contest over on Livejournal, where contestants had to write a "Canon Character x Oc" story, without making the Oc a MarySue/GarySue [i. perfect]. ****Funnily enough**** I missed the deadline. But I've decided to post it up here. Let me know how I do ok? This fic is slightly AU, because the Akatsuki DO NOT live all together in one cave or what have you. For this fic though, its what's going on.**

**Also a note to any potential sporkers who think that Asuka Tanaka ****_is_**** a Sue. Please, spork it, but message me first ok? XD I won't be offended, in fact I'd be thanking you for pointing any sueness this character may have. **

**And after that annoyingly looong a/n...Enjoy =D**

**Disclaimer**- **The only thing that belongs to me here is Asuka. The rest belongs to Kishimoto-san.**

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_"Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty"  
-Sasori Akasuna_

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_"You bastard."_

_The woman smiled ruefully, betraying nothing of what was going on inside. The blood before didn't bother her. She didn't mind the body parts that lay scattered around her. _

_Ninjas don't mind that sort of thing._

_Ninjas shouldn't mind that sort of thing._

* * *

"Yagami Mugen, Saito Yuudai, Ikeda Ryuu and Tanaka Asuka."

The Leader of the Akatsuki looked down at the four profiles before him. Over days of spying and espionage a list of over twenty-five hopefuls had been brought down to the four before him.

Now he had to decide.

"Konan-san. Which one do you think would be the best ?"

Konan passively looked down at the profiles. All four were powerful ninja. All four were worthy of becoming the newest Akatsuki member, but only one could be chosen.

"If they must become the new partner of Tobi, then they must be stable. I would choose Tanaka. She is strong in her particular field of Elemental Ninjutsu and her intelligence level is high enough to be able to cope with the Akatsuki. She has no bonds that may lead her to be disloyal to the Akatsuki, and her past is uneventful enough, so no problems should arise with her in the future."

Pein nodded.

"I agree. It is decided then. According to Zetsu she can be located within Amegakure at this moment. Bring her to me."

18 year old Asuka Tanaka was curled up under a shop awning in the middle of a deserted street. She hated this village, hated Amegakure. She been told that if one wanted to make money as an assassin this was the place to go. And they were right, in the past few days Asuka had come across more job offers than ever before.

But the rain was a bitch.

"I mean honestly," she muttered to herself. "I _know_ its Amegakure, but does it seriously have to rain all freaking day?" She adjusted the cloak wrapped around her and frowned at the outside.

* * *

A soft sound caught her attention. She quickly slid a kunai from the belt wrapped around her waist, up into her sleeve. It could just have been a drunk or a stray animal. But in such an environment there was no such thing as being 'too safe'.

Out of the corner of her eye she something fluttering. Setting her mouth in a straight line, Asuka slowly stood up. She turned to face the movement, a foolish action she would admit later on, for the moment she did so, the entire left side of her body was pinned to the wall behind her. Asuka grunted and tried to pry herself from against the wall, but whatever had pinned her stuck fast, and a host of other fluttering objects maneuvered their way towards her and pinned the right side of her body to the wall. It was only then that Asuka realized that it was paper.

'You have to be kidding me,' she thought. She had met a number of strange ninja over the years. But paper was the icing on the cake.

"Ok. You have me. Now come out and fight like a man," she called out, hoping that her attacker would be stupid enough to do just that.

"Tanaka Asuka-san?"

Asuka's head whipped to face her front as another gust of papers blew before her and began forming themselves into the shape of a figure. The person stepped out of the shadows and into the dim pyramid of light, being cast by a street lamp. Asuka's eyes widened as she beheld the figure of a blue haired woman who looked perfectly normal…even though she had just materialized from a bunch of paper. She walked towards Asuka, still pinned to the wall.

"Are you Tanaka Asuka?" she repeated. The girl blew a bang out of her face and frowned at her opponent.

"Who wants to know?"

"The God of Amegakure."

Asuka felt herself go weak at the knees and silently thanked the paper, or whatever it was, holding her up. This was God's Angel. And she had been stupid enough to smart mouth her.

"Yes. I'm Tanaka Asuka."

A series of _fwoosh_ sounds were heard as the paper holding her to the wall fell and returned to the kunoichi before her. The moment she was free, Asuka tensed, and brought a set of fans, her weapons, in her hands. She eyed the woman before her, wondering what was going to happen next, expecting sheets of paper to surround her and begin asphyxiating her. The woman cast a critical eye over Asuka, then looked her straight in the eye.

"The God of Amegakure requests your presence." Asuka kept staring at her. This wasn't happening. She was going to die she just knew it.

The _fucking_ God of Amegakure was requesting her presence, and she had no choice but to go to him.

One look at the powers that God's Angel had was enough to convince her that there was no way she could escape her. Stamina to run was not a strong point of Asuka's and what use would it be, if all that Konan needed to do was disperse herself into thousands of fluttering papers and pin her to the nearest wall again ?

Asuka slid the fans back into the belt at her waist and nodded at Konan. She stepped towards her.

"Give me your hand and close your eyes."

Asuka did as instructed, and immediately felt herself being lifted off of the ground. She did not dare open her eyes, being uncomfortable as she was around heights. The wind rushed past her, blowing her hair out, and Asuka clung to Konan, in what she thought was a pretty ironic twist. It was only when, a few minutes later she felt solid ground beneath her feet, that she let go of Konan.

Gingerly she opened her eyes, expecting to be struck down by something at any moment, but the only thing she saw was Konan's back as she walked away from her, and her voice carried over to Asuka, instructing to follow her.

She quickly got to her feet and walked behind Konan, having to almost jog to match the much taller woman's stride. They walked on in silence, deeper into the building that Konan had brought Asuka to.

Miserably, Asuka looked around at the gloom, wondering what was going to happen to her. A cold feeling that had nothing to do with the weather, had settled all over her body, and she rubbed her fingers to try and get some feeling back into them. It was so dark inside, that Asuka could barely see anything, and in fact, when Konan stopped before a door, she almost ran into her. Asuka paused and watched Konan knock softly on the door.

"Yes?"

Konan opened the door, entered the room, then turned to look back at Asuka who was still on the other side of the threshold. Impatiently, she motioned to the girl to get inside. Apprehensive, Asuka slipped into the room. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she caught sight of a shadowy figure with piercings.

The God of Amegakure.

Asuka lowered her eyes and waited for whatever was about to happen.

"Tanaka Asuka, 18 years old, originally from Hoshigakure?"

"Yes," she replied simply, not sure of how to address the figure before her. Pein blinked and looked steadily at Asuka who felt herself withering under his glance.

Pein scrutinized the girl before him. She looked just like any other ninja, but the papers before him, explained an individual with exceptional control of ninjutsu, specialized in elemental ninjutsu, and still even more specialized in Wind Jutsu. He tapped the desk surface before him.

"Do you know anything about the Akatsuki?"

Asuka frowned. The fact that she was still alive was good, but she didn't think that she would particularly like where this conversation was going.

"A group of S-ranked criminals, with bases and spies in almost all villages in Akamaru."

"Yes. We would like you to join Akatsuki."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement, and the tone of voice it was said in, left no room for contest.

Still, Asuka couldn't help herself.

"What?"

People didn't just jump up on you and ask you to join the Akatsuki.

Did they?

"Tanaka-san?" She looked up and met they eyes of the God of Amegakure. And right then and right there she knew she didn't have a choice.

"If the God of Amegakure just asked me, do I really have a choice?"

"Yes. You accept. Or you die."

And Asuka swore she could detect a hint of humor in his voice at that moment.

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****~Seken**


	2. Making Acquaintances

**Disclaimer**- **The only thing that belongs to me here is Asuka. The rest belongs to Kishimoto-san.**

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_"Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty"  
-Sasori Akasuna_

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"Argh!" cried Asuka, rolling to her left. The tree before her seemed to bulge outwards, and the form of _something_ began taking shape.

It had been two hours since Asuka had settled down under the shade of a large tree, in the middle of a small wood she had been traversing. Asuka had nervously made her way to the spot where, three days before, Leader-sama had instructed her to go to. The God of Amegakure had explained to her that all Akatsuki called him Leader-sama. To be honest, Asuka found it rather silly, but wisely kept her mouth shut, and complied. Leader-sama had told her to wait in the River Country, and one of the Akatsuki members would come for her and take her to the main base.

When her "meeting", if the one-sided conversation could have been called that, had ended, Konan had left her back where she had found her. Asuka had gathered up her few belongings, and began the long walk towards the River Country, where apparently the Akatsuki had its base.

During the three days it took her to get there, the idea of simply abandoning such a mission and running away to the far side of Akamaru had entered her mind numerous times, but always, the cold eyes of Leader and Konan appeared in her head, and she knew that it was futile to try and run away from the Akatsuki.

So in the River Country she had arrived, and had spent two days wandering around, getting more and more irritated with every passing hour. Finally, exhausted and annoyed, she had stopped at a small river and settled down under the cool shade of a tree to rest.

But that had been two hours earlier. Now, Asuka looked on wide eyed, frozen in place as a ninja extracted himself from what had five seconds before been a normal tree. Her brain finally began recovering from the shock, and she grabbed a kunai, tensing herself and watching every move the ninja made.

When he finally stopped extracting himself from the tree, the ninja towered over Asuka by six inches, looking down at her with piercing yellow eyes through a mass of green leaves that seemed to sprout from beneath the cloak he was wearing. Surprise flashed across Asuka's face, but she quickly set her mouth in a straight line, and stared hard at the ninja. She was wondering whether this was the Akatsuki member that was supposed to guide her to the base.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds then the ninja broke the silence.

"Tanaka Asuka-san ?"

Asuka nodded, and relaxed her stance, yet she didn't release the kunai just yet. She found herself mesmerized by the abnormality of the ninja before her. His face was divided into two, one half black, the other half white. Apparently, only the white half had a mouth.

**"You do realise it's rude to stare, don't you?"**

Asuka started. The voice had clearly come from the ninja before her, but it was different than the other voice, deeper, dourer. Asuka reddened slightly, and bowed.

"Forgive me. Yes, I am Asuka."

The ninja nodded and walked to the right.

"Follow me then."

Shouldering her pack, Asuka set off after the ninja, who set a brisk pace. The route he was making her take, swerved and looped in on itself a number of times, but Asuka guessed that it was to prevent anyone from following them. Not that anyone was following them. After a few minutes of walking through the forest, they had come to an expansive plain. Flat land stretched out on all sides of them, except for a solid wall of bare rock, which the ninja was heading to now. His pace had increased, and Asuka felt her stomach start to twist into knots, as she wondered what was in store for her.

When they had finally reached the rock wall, the ninja paused, and Asuka gratefully stopped, letting her bag fall to her feet to catch her breath. The sun had beaten down mercilessly on them as they were crossing the plain, and she was grateful for the shade provided by the rock.

Asuka watched curiously, as the ninja placed his palm to the rock, muttering words beneath his breath. In a flash of smoke that startled Asuka, a seal appeared, and the ninja bit his finger, drawing blood, and wiped a smear of the red liquid across the seal. Slowly, it disintegrated and the shape of a door appeared in the rock, cracks running up from the ground. As this was happening the ninja turned to Asuka.

"Don't rip the seal off, you'll have to touch it with some of your blood. Once you have become an Akatsuki member you'll be able to do just as I have done."

"What happens if I rip the seal off?"

The ninja grinned wickedly at her, and without answering, stepped into the corridor that had appeared into the rock face. Grimacing, Asuka picked up her bag again, and with one last look at the outside, entered behind him.

* * *

Asuka stumbled after the ninja in the pitch dark. A couple of torches lit the walls, but they cast more shadows than they expelled, and she could hardly see where she was going. Tripping over her feet and swearing silently, Asuka paused as the ninja stopped to open a door, which was curiously set into the rock. Asuka followed him into the new room, wincing slightly as the harsh lights inside assaulted her eyes, still trying to get over the dark of the outside corridor. She looked around her, at what was unexpectedly a normal kitchen. There were two fridges at one end, a counter, a table in the middle around which were grouped a number of chairs. Three of these were occupied. One of them, a blonde ninja, looked up.

"Zetsu-san!"

Zetsu gestured at Asuka beside him. "This is Tanaka Asuka-san."

"The girl with the sadistic jutsu?" inquired another ninja sitting at the table, who, Asuka interestedly noticed, had blue skin.

"Perfect," muttered the one sitting next to him with distaste in his voice.

"**I'll leave you to it then." **

Asuka felt Zetsu leave from next to her. She stared at the ninja who had last talked, wondering what she had done to make him already dislike her. She hadn't yet opened her mouth.

"Itachi don't be mean, yeah" said the first ninja who had greeted Zetsu. He got up and walked towards Asuka.

"I'm Deidara. Don't take notice of the jerk back there he's just here to annoy people."

Asuka smiled. "I don't think I need to introduce myself," she said.

Deidara shook his head at her. "If you're here to become Tobi's new partner I pity you. Do you have any experience with little children, hmm?"

Wondering at the strange question Asuka was about to reply in the negative when a door banged open to her left, cutting her off. She was pushed roughly aside before she could turn to look at the new comer, and she caught a glimpse of red hair as the figure opened one of the fridges behind Deidara and disappeared behind the door.

"Sasori-no danna! Tobi's new partner is here."

Deidara had turned expectantly towards the person. Asuka curiously tried to look behind him but couldn't see who it was.

"I'm busy."

And with that, the refrigerator door banged shut and Sasori emerged holding a jar containing a human heart. Asuka recoiled slightly from the sight. The ninja glanced once at Asuka impassively then swept past the rebuked Deidara and out the room again.

"That's Sasori-no danna, yeah, he's my partner. Don't worry you'll get used to everyone treating you like crap around here."

"Makes me wonder why I didn't choose death over this."

Deidara smiled. "And you haven't met Hidan, Kakuzu or Tobi yet. Tobi's probably somewhere around and Hidan and Kakuzu are out on a mission." The blonde jerked his head towards the door. "Want me to give you the tour, hmm?"

Asuka cast a glance at the two ninja sitting at the table. It seemed to be the only offer of friendship she would ever receive in this place. Asuka shrugged.

"Sure."

* * *

"And this is the training area!"

Asuka panned her eyes across the wide expanse. It had taken Deidara 20 minutes to arrive to this particular area of the base. It was one of the few open air spaces, and was surrounded by sheer rock faces all round.

"Impressive," she said at last and began walking towards Deidara. The ground below her made a slight crunching noise and she looked down, expecting leaves. Instead she saw shards of clay, mostly disfigured but with a few recognizable figures of various birds and insects. She picked up the front piece of a bird.

"What are all these broken clay figures doing here?"

Deidara grinned widely. "That Asuka-san…is my art!"

Asuka raised her eyebrows. "Your art?"

"Yeah. My art is beautiful. Be thankful you won't ever be on the wrong end of it."

Asuka let the half figurine fall from her hands and crumble into pieces. "What is the point of making all these figurines then just smashing them to pieces?"

Deidara's eyes flashed angrily.

"Art is a form of expression, something fleeting that should be enjoyed for a few moments and leave an explosive impression, yeah." He leaned towards Asuka. "Art is a bang!"

Asuka smiled. "And you fight…with your art?"

Without speaking Deidara put his hand into a pocket which hung by his hip and brought out a piece of soft clay. He balled his hands over it, and when he opened them again, a little bird sat in the palm of his hand. Smiling, he threw it towards Asuka.

"Catch!"

Asuka held out her hands as instructed but just before she could close her fingers over the figure, it exploded into a ball of flame. Blinded for a second, she stumbled back and fell over onto the ground.

"Hey!" she cried angrily, getting up as Deidara laughed at her. She inspected her hands, red from the small fire of the explosion.

"Artists don't like it when their art is criticized, yeah."

Asuka's eyes turned to slits.

"Art, is it?" she said. She slid a fan from out of her belt and unfurled it in the direction of Deidara sending with it a rush of hot air that took the blonde by surprise and made him take a step back.

"I can strip your flesh from your bone…does that count as art?"

Deidara smiled. "I'd like to see you try, yeah."

"_Kawarifuto no Jutsu_!"

The swirling, cutting mass of hot and cold winds that formed Asuka's signature jutsu whirled in the direction of Deidara, throwing up dust and obscuring the girl's vision for a few seconds. When the dust cleared she expected to see a badly injured Deidara.

Instead she saw nothing.

'Where did he go?' she wondered, taking a pace forwards. Then a shadow passed to her left and she ducked to her right as something fell and exploded where she had been only a few seconds ago. From the ground she looked up and saw Deidara astride a giant clay bird.

"Not so cocky now, hmm?"

"Come down from there and fight like you're supposed to!"

"I think not," he said, smiling, and his hand delved into his hip pouch. Asuka swore and rolled out of the way as more of Deidara's 'art' tried to implode her into a million pieces. Thinking quickly, she ran underneath the shadow of the bird, and kept to it, knowing full well, that in such a wide expanse of flat land it was the only cover she could get.

Swearing, Deidara swerved the bird as widely as he could but Asuka kept up applying her good speed to the problem. The girl was glad that this fight needed no expression of strength, because then she would have been utterly and totally screwed. But she knew full well that she was reaching the end of her stamina and needed to end this fight as quickly as possible.

Ducking once more underneath the clay figure, Asuka shot her fans up, sending another swirling mass of winds towards Deidara. This time Deidara had no warning and he cried out as the bird, rather than being lacerated as flesh would have been, cracked and crumbled. Agile as a cat, he landed on his feet and turned to face Asuka who was already getting ready to send another burst of her jutsu towards the blonde. He had just enough time to send another clay bomb towards the winds, disturbing them as he dived out of the way and rolled on the ground.

"Perfect," he muttered, planting a clay bomb in the earth, hiding this movement, with the action of getting up off the ground. Unaware of what he had just done, Asuka advanced, preparing to use an Earth technique jutsu to crush her opponent, who had, quite frankly, gotten on her very last nerve.

The ground opened up beneath Deidara and he staggered backwards, but didn't lose his footing.

'Just a few more paces', he thought as he pretended to stagger back more than he really needed to. Sensing victory, Asuka ran towards the blonde, and as soon as he straightened up, made two blocks of earth rise up on either side of him and crush him on his sides, trapping Deidara.

With a catty smile Asuka walked slowly towards him, idly swinging one of her fans in her hand.

"Got you right where I want you," she said sweetly, already planning to crush Deidara out of sight. Deidara returned her smile.

"KATSU!"

"Wha-?" But Asuka had no chance to finish, as the ground beneath her exploded. She was blinded by the smoke and began coughing uncontrollably, waving her hands and trying to clear the dust from her eyes. When she thought that the dust had finally begun to clear, she felt something slither up her legs and surround her and pin her arms to her side. Asuka stopped struggling and allowed the air to clear. Then she took one look at herself and Deidara and began laughing uncontrollably.

"What the fuck is wrong with you hmm?" said Deidara irritably. He had expected himself to end up free the moment that Asuka was caught, but infact he was still trapped between the slabs of rock.

"We've found ourselves a match I guess."

"Yeah, that's only because I'd get my ass kicked by Leader-sama if you got hurt."

Asuka smirked. "You keep up that attitude and I won't let you go."

"You're one to talk."

Asuka looked down at the gigantic clay scorpion that surrounded her.

"That's a bomb…unless you haven't put some genjutsu shit over me like Itachi, yeah. What's stopping me from detonating it and blowing you to kingdom come, hmm?"

"The fact that if I don't release you from my jutsu myself, they'll have to chisel you out. Or pull you out. Either way, it hurts to say the least."

Deidara contemplated the girl before him. She squirmed trying to get free, but soon found out that there was no way to escape the grip of Deidara's clay sculpture. She paused, blowing a bang out of her eyes and looked at the other ninja.

"What do you said Deidara-san? Truce?"

"I guess so. For now, yeah."

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**~Seken**


	3. Encounters

**Disclaimer**- **The only thing that belongs to me here is Asuka. The rest belongs to Kishimoto-san.**

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_"Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty" _  
_-Sasori Akasuna_

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As time passed and the days rolled into weeks, Asuka found herself settling down to her new life.

Well, as much as one could settle down amidst such a volatile and unpredictable group of characters. Despite their initial, almost deadly meeting, Asuka and Deidara soon became good friends.

On the evening of the first day, Asuka had made the acquaintance of Tobi. This mainly consisted of Deidara swearing, Tobi squealing, Zetsu passing snarky comments, and a sharp pain, as what seemed to be a bouncing orange ball, launched itself at Asuka.

Two days after that, Asuka had been given the chance to meet Hidan and had arrived at the base to make sure that everything was in working order, and to bring Asuka a cloak and a ring. As Asuka was talking to her in the kitchen, the door banged behind her and, amidst deafening swearing, a white haired man and his masked partner entered the room, stinking of blood. Asuka's eyes widened as she noticed that the former, covered all in blood, held his left arm in his right. Konan had stopped talking and regarded the two newcomers, no expression present on her face, although Asuka positively _felt_ distaste radiating from kept arguing as they made their way into the middle of the kitchen, and then the white haired Akatsuki noticed the two women staring at them.

Ignoring Konan, he adressed Asuka.

"Who the fuck are you?"

Asuka blinked.

"Tanaka Asuka."

"Oh yeah!" cried the man, turning to his partner. "There you go Kakuzu. Another fucker for you to annoy the shit out of. Now let me go finish in peace."

And with that, the ninja had stormed off, swinging a mean looking scythe. Kakuzu glanced once at Asuka then he too took off. Slightly, annoyed, Asuka turned again to Konan. God's Angel caught Asuka's eye then continued to explain to her exactly what was expected of her, now that she had joined the Akatsuki.

In the following days, Asuka had mostly figured the members out. She had warmed to Kisame who, like Deidara, seemed to have retained the basic rules of manners and friendliness. His partner, Itachi, she had learned to ignore, which was what most of the other members did anyway. Kakuzu had seemed to take an initial disliking to her, a sentiment which was mutually shared by Asuka.

As for his partner,it had taken Asuka a while toget used to the swearing and general smell of blood that seemed to radiate off Hidan constantly. But gotten used to it she had, and she was glad that she counted Hidan amongst her "allies" in the Akatsuki. Only one day after she had met Hidan, Tobi had pissed him off and it had taken all of Kakuzu andZetsu's efforts to stop a massacre from happening. Tobi puzzled Asuka to no end. She couldn't understand _why _he was there, amidst all these dangerous ninja. She knew that Tobi was not a proper member of the Akatsuki, but he was not just a contact either. Still, she welcomed his cheeriness.

As for Konan and the Leader, they rarely ever showed up in the base, in fact most of the Akatsuki received their missions from a hologram of the Leader or from Zetsu.

No, Asuka felt as if she had quite figured out the Akatsuki.

Except for Sasori.

It wasn't that he ignored her like Kakuzu and Itachi. Sometimes, he talked to her when they were in the same room together. Most times, he completely overlooked her, and just walked past. Other times he seemed to be angry at her, as if she had done something, although she was always careful to annoy nobody in the Akatsuki. It wasn't exactly the safest of practices.

She had nervously asked Deidara about this once, as he packed his bag with clay to take on a mission. The blonde had shrugged and said, "Sasori-no danna is weird. Don't let him get to you, yeah."

* * *

Now, as she sat in the roots of a tree, on watch, Asuka felt her thoughts drifting to what she might be doing, that had this effect on Sasori. Tobi sat beside her, fast asleep. That morning's mission had worn them out, and Asuka had badly twisted her ankle as she had miscalculated and gotten hit by a nasty attack. A twisted ankle was possibly the most annoying injury of all. It was nothing, compared to a lot of other injuries that she could have sustained, but it made walking hurt like a bitch. This in turn made Asuka's mood deteriorate into absolute _dismal_, by the time that she and Tobi had stopped to make camp.

Via Zetsu, Leader had been sending them both on small missions, probably to test Asuka out. The first mission she had gone on with Tobi, they had had to eliminate some small time money mongol, from an obscure village, somewhere on the outskirts of the deserts of Sunagakure. Asuka had been anxious, expecting to have to protect Tobi too. But when a deadly Wind attack had simply passed through the ninja, Asuka had quickly changed her opinion, and let the bodyguards occupy themselves with Tobi as she took care of the target.

Asuka massaged her ankle, keeping an eye on the surrounding forest. There was no real need to do this, as they were now in Akatsuki territory, and Zetsu was patrolling the area, gorging himself on any trespassers. But the pain in Asuka's ankle had stopped her from sleeping, and there was really not much else to do. The fire had by now died down to a few glowing embers, and Asuka watched them. The fading and glowing of the ashes had an almost hypnotic effect on Asuka, and she felt herself nodding off, when suddenly, she heard a rasping to her left.

Instantly awake and alert, Asuka grabbed a kunai in her hand and pressed herself into the tree trunk, crouching down and ignoring the bullet of pain that shot up from her protesting ankle. There was a moment of tension as Asuka surveyed the surrounding undergrowth, and whatever was out there surveyed her. Then, Tobi, rolled over, mumbled something inaudible in his sleep and snorted.

"Hey danna, it's only Asuka-chan and Tobi!"

Recognizing Deidara's voice, Asuka relaxed. Deidara and Sasori came walking out of the forest, Sasori in his usual Hiruko attire. Asuka still had not quite gotten used to this puppet, as she saw Sasori more often at the base, where he usually took the form of his original body. She hated the Hiruko puppet with its beady eyes and scampering legs, and she couldn't help but shiver.

"Hey Asuka-chan. What are you doing here, hmm?"

Asuka gestured at Tobi. "We were on a mission and had to stop here."

"You're only a few hundred metres away from the base you know."

Asuka reddened slightly. A twisted ankle seemed such a small thing. She hadn't minded telling Tobi that she wanted to stop and rest, because Tobi was Tobi. But the other ninja were a different matter entirely.

"I got injured in my leg."

"Tough," said Deidara, crouching down next to her. Hiruko's tail twitched impatiently.

"It's funny," said Asuka, "it's actually only twisted, but for some reason it's a real pain."

Deidara had been looking at her ankle, and she saw him frown.

"Asuka-chan, I can't be sure by moonlight, but I don't think you just twisted it. What exactly happened, hmm?" Asuka looked at her ankle more closely, and noticed with a small twinge of panic, how it had turned almost purple.

"I got caught up in an attack, whilst I was in the air. I fell and twisted it, then some ninja slashed at it with a kunai, but it was just a small cut."

"It could have been poisoned."

"What?"

Deidara turned to Sasori and waved him over. "Hey Sasori-danna, come take a look at this. That looks like pieris, yeah?"

Sasori scuttled over and looked at Asuka's leg. "It does look like it was caused by pieris," he confirmed. He addressed Asuka. "Have you been feeling a burning sensation in your mouth?"

Asuka nodded. She had thought that it was just thirst, or exhaustion that was causing it, but apparently it had been something much more serious.

"What happens now?" she said.

"Nothing," said Sasori. "You come back to base and we treat you with emesis. You'll need a lot of fluid replacement."

"Hold on, I'll wake this idiot up and get him to help you, yeah," said Deidara, indicating Tobi.

"Sasori-san, what is emesis?"

The Hiruko puppet turned to her one last time.

"Induced vomiting."

"Harsh," said Deidara, then he bent over Tobi.

"HEY YOU! DON'T YOU THINK IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP, HMM?"

Hiruko's tail twitched impatiently again, as Tobi sat bolt upright, his forehead crashing into Deidara's.

"Tobi-kun is up! Tobi-kun is a good boy!"

"I'll fucking murder you, you moron, yeah!" cried Deidara, picking himself of the ground.

"Deidara!" snapped Sasori. "Hurry up and get Asuka to base. I've waited enough already!"

Muttering darkly, Deidara turned to Asuka and helped her up. "Tobi, help Asuka-chan."

"Is Asuka-sama hurt?" inquired Tobi as he allowed Asuka to sling her right arm around his neck. The moment she had gotten to her feet, Asuka had confirmed even further that it wasn't just a twisted ankle she was suffering from. Her whole leg now felt weak, and she was grateful for the support that Tobi was providing her with. In this fashion, she half-limped, was half-carried to the base. It seemed to be empty, and Asuka was thankful for that, as she had begun to feel the effect of what Sasori had said was going to happen. She let go of Tobi, calling back a grateful thanks as she stumbled along to the closest toilet.

'Induced vomiting indeed,' thought Asuka, as she allowed her immune system to free itself of the unwanted toxins in her body.

* * *

'Oh man,' thought Asuka, sprawled out on her bed. She had spent two hours dashing in and out of the toilet, "ridding" herself of all the poison. Now it seemed her body was done, but she was still extremely shaky.

Asuka got up, and opened the door to her room. She thought that Deidara had told Tobi to keep out of her way, as her partner had still not come into their shared room. Asuka wondered where Tobi was, and decided there and then to search around for him. She wanted to thank him for helping her up to the base, and at the same time, was kind of worried at what he might be getting up to.

Asuka wandered down the corridor she was in. The thought of exploring the Akatsuki base hadn't crossed her mind previously, but now it seemed as if she was going to involuntarily do such a thing. Before she had always gone to the right, as that was where the main area of the base was. But now, she decided to go left, and take a look at what lay further into the base.

"Tobi?" she called, feeling dumb, as she walked on. She had bandaged her ankle, and it was much better now, although it still hurt slightly to put a lot of weight on it.

The doors in the corridor had started to become less frequent. Asuka wasn't sure if any of the members had their room down here. Curiosity began to over take her, and she decided to take a look at what was behind one of the doors.

She paused at a random one. A sense of foreboding had started to creep up her spine, but she shrugged it off. After all, this was where she was actually living right now, it wasn't as if anyone was going to come up and stop her.

Shaking her head, Asuka slowly pushed the door open. It made no sound as it swung on its hinges and she silently entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hello?"

Feeling silly, Asuka advanced into the room, which was gloomy. Hundreds of shadows and things hung from the wall, but in the murky light she couldn't make out what they were. She stepped closer to one of the figures and held up her hand, moving to inspect it closer when she felt the cool touch of a kunai in the small of her back.

"One move and you're dead."

Asuka gulped. She knew that voice and really wished that she hadn't been so curious.

"Sasori-san?"

"Oh. Its you." The kunai was withdrawn from her back and Asuka turned to face the ninja behind her. Hiruko was off, and he was back to his normal self.

"What are you doing here?" he asked his face passive as ever.

"Well, um, I looking for Tobi and I was wondering what this door lead to … and well … you see …" Asuka's voice trailed off lamely. She bit her lip, and bowed.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you Sasori-san, I'll get going now."

Stuttering, Asuka fumbled towards the door with the grace of a donkey, but stopped when she was about to bump into one of the figures that was hanging from the ceiling. It was only from such a close vantage point that she could realize what it really was.

"It's a human!"

"Puppet," corrected Sasori, with a hint of irritability in his voice. "It's a puppet."

Awed, Asuka turned and peered into the gloom of the room. She could make out hundreds of the figures.

"You have to be kidding. These are all puppets?"

"Yes. This is my trade. This is my art."

"Your art?" Asuka raised her eyebrows. "She'd been an unwilling audience to a number of "art lectures", delivered by Deidara and wasn't in the mood for another. Sasori shrugged.

"Art is beauty, beauty that is everlasting. Art is eternal. That is why I make these puppets. They are eternal."

Asuka turned towards Sasori and suddenly realized that the ninja was one handed.

"Sasori-san…what happened to your hand?"

Sasori looked down at where his arm was supposed to have been connected to his shoulder. "I am making slight arrangements to my arm. It got broken during my last fight."

Asuka paled and took a step back. "You…you mean. You. You're a puppet?"

Sasori blinked betraying no emotion.

"Yes. I have turned myself into art."

More than a little freaked out Asuka stared at him. "But you can't make a human being into a puppet!"

"Yes you can actually. Come I'll show you."

Sasori turned and disappeared behind a number of the hanging puppets.

Slightly unwillingly, Asuka followed, intrigued by whatever it was that Sasori wanted to show her. He led her to a table where the body of a man lay covered by a blanket. The eyes were closed, but something made Asuka feel that if the eyelids were opened the socket behind them would be empty.

"It's simple really," began Sasori. "I take a body, remove the organs then preserve it. Things that rot have to be removed, such as the eyes." Asuka bent to inspect a couple of jars by the man, then recoiled back when she realized that it was the organs.

"You keep the organs?"

"Only one organ per body usually. That way chakra can still flow through the person's body and I can control their kekkei genkai when I use them as a puppet." Sasori bent over and uncovered the chest of the man, then withdrew the skin of the chest revealing a hollow inside.

With a look of horror Asuka recoiled a step back. Sasori moved closer to her.

"It's fairly simple really. You kill the person, preserve them making the skin as hard as wood, get rid of everything that can rot, then insert whatever you need into the puppet." His lifted his right hand and took a strand of Asuka's hair in his fingers.

"I choose my 'human puppets' very carefully. These that you see hanging are my human puppets. They have to be both aesthetically pleasing and own strong kekkei genkai." He moved closer to Asuka and in a low voice said,

"You Asuka-san, would make a good addition to my collection."

With a small scream, Asuka staggered back, colliding into one of the puppets. Whimpering she ran back towards the door of the room, willing herself to not think about what had happened to the corpses that were dangling around her. She reached the door and wrenched it open, and upon exiting, fled to the relative safety of her room, Sasori's laugh still echoing in her ears.

* * *

**~Seken**


	4. Moving Forward

**Author's Note - This is definetly _not_ one of my more well-written chapters. Just to warn you. **

**Disclaimer**- **The only thing that belongs to me here is Asuka. The rest belongs to Kishimoto-san.**

* * *

_"Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty" _  
_-Sasori Akasuna_

* * *

Two weeks later Asuka was sitting at the table, playing a game of cards against Kisame. Hidan was glaring at them from the other side of the table, clutching at his rosary and muttering prayers under his breath.

"Hey Asuka-chan!"

Asuka looked up from her card hand, with a defeated look in her eyes. She was losing badly, and doubted that Deidara's interruption was going to be of any help. Deidara was standing in the doorway, his arm in a sling and his leg wrapped in a bandage.

"Yeah?"

"Leader-sama wants to speak to you. What did you do hmmm?"

Hidan interrupted.

"Woah blondie what the fuck happened to you?"

Deidara narrowed his eyes at Hidan as Asuka got up, shoved her cards over to Kisame and made her way out of the kitchen.

"If you're going to fight try to not break anymore furniture. Once more and Kakuzu will have a heart attack. In all hearts."

Leaving the two to their bickering, Asuka walked to the door which lead to what was called the Leader's office. In actual fact it was only a room where the Leader briefed the Akatsuki on their missions. More often than not it was actually only a hologram of the Leader. Rarely had Asuka ever seen him in person again after the first time in Amegakure.

Stopping in front of the door, she knocked and waited.

"Enter."

Asuka pushed open the door and entered the room. She was surprised when she noticed that Sasori was there as well. She hadn't spoken more than a few words to the ninja since the time he had showed her the puppets. Anxious and nervous, she went to stand by him, waiting for the hologram of the Leader before them to explain what was going on.

"Sasori-san, two weeks ago I briefed you and Deidara about a mission concerning an abandoned clan complex on the outskirts of Kirigakure. Since then Deidara has been injured. According to Kakuzu his arm and leg haven't healed well enough for him to function fully during a mission. As it is, we cannot wait any longer to retrieve those scrolls from the complex, as you yourself reported that one of your spies in Otogakure has seen Orochimaru sending his own people for those scrolls. Therefore, I want you to go on with the mission, taking Asuka as back up. All the others have missions of their own, and Zetsu requested the presence of Tobi for some time. You have already been briefed; inform Asuka of what must be done."

With that the hologram of the Leader disappeared.

Asuka blinked at how fast things had suddenly started moving and ventured a sideways look at Sasori. He had already turned round and was making his way towards the door.

"Sasori-san? Sasori-san wait up!" Asuka hurried to catch up with him. "Sasori-san what _is_ this mission?"

The redhead turned round.

"You heard the Leader. We have to retrieve a couple of scrolls that are important before Orochimaru gets to them." Sasori frowned. "I can't understand why he sent _you_ with me, I could have done it as a solo mission."

He swept a critical eye over Asuka. She, in turn, was still deciding whether she should be offended at the emphasis he had put on the 'you'.

"30 minutes. Don't keep me waiting."

Sasori stalked off and entered the kitchen meaning to continue on to his room to pick up Hiruko.

"Well excuse me for existing!" said an indignant Asuka as she walked into the kitchen after him. Deidara and Hidan looked up as Sasori turned back to Asuka, scoffed, and walked on.

Asuka just stared open-mouthed after him. Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"What happened Asuka-chan, hmm?"

"I have to go on a mission with him!"

"Hah. Good luck staying sane around that heathen creep."

Asuka just glared at Hidan then fumed off to pick up her own weapons and supplies from her room.

"Hey Hidan, wanna bet on which one of them's coming alive out of this shit?"

"Tch."

* * *

Half an hour later Asuka was waiting in a vacant kitchen drumming her fingers on the table.

"Ready?"

Asuka jumped, not expecting Sasori to come up from behind her especially not in his usual Hiruko garb. She got up and nodded, avoiding eye contact with the puppet. Her last encounter with puppets had not gone well, and she had resolved to stay out of Sasori's way as much as possible.

Silently, she followed him as they headed out of the exit and into the forest that surrounded the Akatsuki HQ.

* * *

"Stop here Asuka-san." Asuka halted on a low tree branch, Sasori inside Hiruko down on the ground beneath her. She quickly jumped down to stand by the puppet.

"Before us is the abandoned Tsukiyo clan complex. That's where we're going to be able to find the scrolls that we need. I don't need to warn you that there may be Sound ninja around."

Asuka nodded. "How am I going to know what the scrolls look like?"

"Hn. You shouldn't need to worry about that, I'll find them. If by chance you do find anything, you'll know the moment you see them."

With this cryptic answer, Sasori began to move forward. Holding back a sharp comment, Asuka followed him. As they broke out of the tree line she couldn't help but utter a gasp. As a Tanaka, Asuka had never been subject to grandeur. Her clan had been an obscure, insignificant one lying on the edge of one of the smallest villages in Akamaru. The ruins of the complex before her astounded her. Even in such a degraded state one could tell immediately that before its decline the building had been enormous, vast, and heaven knew what had been housed inside.

Slowly Asuka and Sasori made their way towards the ruins.

"The scrolls were held in the library. It's this way."

Asuka stared at the skeleton of the building. It seemed hostile, as if the very air around the ruin spoke of cruel actions. Asuka's curiosity got the better of her, and she questioned Sasori.

"Sasori-san. What happened here?"

"Inter-clan fighting. There was a schism some years ago. The result was this massacre."

"Massacre?" Asuka shivered as she felt the air grow colder around her. The mists surrounding Kirigakure didn't help.

They picked their way through the fallen buildings and rubble. Sasori finally stopped at what looked like the remnants of a middle sized room. The floors were smeared with soot, evidence of the fire that had raged through it once. Structures resembling what would have been book shelves stood at intervals along the room but other than that there really was nothing else.

"How can scrolls have survived a fire?"

"Just stay guard over here while I look around Asuka-san."

Asuka crossed her arms and stood by the entrance of the library. She looked around warily, expecting a Sound ninja at any moment. The derelict rubble and mists gave the place an eerie feeling, and this, coupled with the fact that her partner was behaving so coldly made her want to get this mission over and done with as soon as possible. A couple of cylindrical scroll cases were lying on the ground beside her feet, and she picked them up. Under the black left by the fire they were beautiful, made of rich mahogany wood, with carvings going around the cases from top to bottom.

A scuffle behind her, and Asuka whipped round, her weapons at the ready, but all she found was Hiruko. His tail twitched slightly.

"Jumpy are we?"

Asuka huffed. "Did you get the scrolls?"

"Yes. Come on. Let's get out of here."

"Not so fast."

Asuka grimaced. "It could never be that easy," she muttered. She and Sasori turned as one to see ten ninja, all wearing Otogakure headbands.

"Is that all? Orochimaru is getting cocky," said Sasori beneath his breath. Asuka saw Hiruko's tail swishing.

"Asuka-san, split them up."

Asuka nodded. Sasori had hidden the actual scrolls, but she still had the scroll cases that she had picked up in her hands and there was no way that their opponents knew that they were not the actual scrolls. She waved them lazily at the Otogakure ninja, then smirked and ran, away from them and Sasori.

"Follow that one! We'll take care of this freak!"

Asuka ran towards the trees, where she knew she could find shelter. Behind some of the Otogakure ninja had given chase, and looking back over her shoulder she could make out three ninja following her. She made sure that she was still going in the right direction, then looked back again to check on Sasori. Hiruko should have been getting ready to fight seven ninja, but in a flash, more ninja appeared, and they covered Hiruko from sight. Asuka's heart sank.

'_Shit, it was only a ploy to split __**us**__ up,_" she thought, still heading for the trees. One of the Otogakure ninja was fast and she had almost caught up to Asuka, but then they reached the trees. Asuka immediately made her way up, allowing herself to jump nimbly from tree branch to tree branch. To her, trees were home, it was in this kind of environment that she had grew up in, and trained in. Behind her, two of the Otogakure ninja cursed as they struggled to keep up, but their comrade, fast as she was, was only a few paces away from Asuka. Asuka swore at this anonymous ninja, who was going to make her fight. She was worried about Sasori, but more than that, doubted whether she would have enough chakra to keep up a long run and follow it up with a fight.

Eyeing a potential battleground, she leaped unexpectedly towards her right, and slammed onto the highest branch of a tall tree. Quickly, she turned, just in time to see her pursuer land on the opposite branch. The other two were further down in the foliage making their way up.

Gritting her teeth, Asuka unfurled her fans, and attacked her opponent with her signature jutsu. Agilely, the other ninja jumped out of the way, but one of the Otogakure ninja who had fallen behind, chose that moment to come out into the open, right into the path of Asuka's jutsu. He stood there as the winds whipped around him, and howled as they tore the skin and flesh from his bones. Lacerations appeared all over his body, and blood gushed from them, welling up and spilling over. He fell on his knees and slumped forward, a mass of tissue and bones.

The other Otogakure ninja stared at his body.

"Kuzon!" gasped the girl who had avoided Asuka's jutsu. She took one step towards the fallen ninja then angrily turned to Asuka. From this position Asuka could see the strange markings on her neck beginning to glow.

'_Damn damn damn,'_ thought Asuka, trying to figure out how she was going to eliminate two opponents at once. The other ninja, a man with green hair, had surfaced from the trees and was standing by the girl. He had two enormous machetes strapped to his back, and they glinted evilly in the dim light. Asuka was already feeling the strain from having run such a distance and performing her jutsu, and she knew that she didn't have a lot of chakra left.

An idea had finally come to her but for that she need water. Lots of it.

Before the other girl could begin an attack, Asuka took off, and re entered the forest canopy. The Otogakure ninja were right on her tail, and this time, Asuka could actually feel the other girl closing in. She didn't have much time, and she made her way towards what she hoped was a large body of water that she had been able to sense through vibrations when she was up on the tree.

Swerving, to try and discourage her followers, Asuka stumbled as senbon needles, thrown by her pursuers landed directly in her tigh. She fell off a branch, head first, but managed to right herself, although not before a branch had caught her on the side of her head, and opened up a gash from her temple to her chin. Asuka's eyes watered as she swung herself onwards, stretching her arm to the limit, but she pushed on, the laughter of the Otogakure ninja ringing in her ears.

Finally, she could see a river before her. Asuka pushed herself out of the last tree and landed on the water, seconds before her attackers did just the same.

The man was panting slightly, Asuka noticed with a small sense of triumph, but the girl was unruffled. Her red hair fell around her face, where a cruel smirk played on her lips. Asuka suddenly got a strong feeling that she knew this girl from before.

"You're going to pay for what you did to Kuzon."

Asuka didn't answer and mentally went over the hand signs she needed. The justu she was going to try and perform was a big one and would drain her of all her remaining chakra. She needed to get this right first time round or she was done for.

Thinking that Asuka had run out of energy and was simply giving up the girl called Hitomi made her way lazily forward.

"Orochimaru-sama will be so pleased to have the scrolls he requested," she said, making her way forward and sliding a katana from its sheath hanging at her hip.

The blade glinted in the sunlight. Asuka had only seconds, but she forced herself to keep calm. She needed the element of surprise.

'Just a few more steps,' she coaxed. The girl walked forwards.

Suddenly Asuka whipped towards her, performed the snake seal and uttered the jutsu.

"_Suiton Bakusui Shōha_!"

A great wave rose up from the water beneath her. It swelled outwards, big enough to reach both of the Otogakure ninja, who were trapped in the advancing wave and crushed by it. As the waters dispelled Asuka collapsed onto the bank. The jutsu only allowed her to spread the waters as far as her chakra would allow her, and thankfully she had had enough in reserve to crush her opponents. Still, she was exhausted and allowed herself a few seconds of rest, before she made her way back to where she had left Sasori.

* * *

Back near the Tsukiyo compound, Asuka watched the carnage that Hiruko had left. Without gaining so much as a scratch, Sasori had managed to fight and kill dozens of Otogakure ninja. He stood in the middle, evidently waiting for her, and his voice was filled with displeasure when she walked up to him.

"You've kept me waiting."

"Yes, well sorry about that," replied Asuka angrily, holding material she had torn off her trousers to the side of her head and trying to staunch the blood flowing down from there. Hiruko's eyes turned towards her.

"What happened to you?"

Asuka blushed and decided not to embarrass herself by admitting that she had fallen out of a tree.

"It's nothing." She looked around at the dead bodies. "Was that all of them?"

"All those who have attacked me are dead. I don't know if there are anymore." Hiruko turned around. "I have been weakened and so have you, we should head back."

At that moment Asuka realised that the left side of Hiruko had in fact been deeply gashed, and his back leg was completely crushed. Asuka wondered if inside, Sasori too had sustained injury, but didn't venture to ask. Hiruko had begun moving and Asuka made to follow him, but suddenly, the foot that had been injured with the senbon locked beneath her, and she stumbled, crying out. She made to get up, but couldn't as her injured leg suddenly felt like lead. Hiruko turned round.

"What's wrong with you?"

"It's my leg. I think the senbon was tipped with poison." Asuka tried to get up again, but her leg was completely paralyzed now, and she could feel the numbness spreading up her hips and down into her other leg too.

Suddenly, she understood why she had recognized the girl. She was the one who a fortnight before had attacked her with the kunai, and poisoned her. Apparently, Asuka and Tobi had not been finish off all of the ninja.

"It was her. The girl who caught me with pieris," said Asuka, as she slapped her leg.

Frustrated, she growled and launched forwards, getting herself off the ground, only to stumble back.

"This is useless. You're going to have to leave me here."

Hiruko's middle cracked open, and Sasori emerged, scowling.

"I can't leave you here, Leader will have a fit!"

"Well then what do you propose we do? I can't walk. Either you leave me here, or you give me enough time to get the pieris out of my body, and believe me that take's quite a bit."

Sasori gave her a withering look. He frowned, cursed then took out Hiruko's summoning scroll, and the puppet disappeared into it with a flash. Still muttering, Sasori went over to Asuka and picked her up, throwing her indecorously over his back.

"Hey!" she cried, "What do you think doing?"

"Shut up. I have to take you back to base. Hiruko is not a chariot, how do you expect me to carry you back if not like this?"

Asuka grimaced, and adjusted her arms to go around Sasori's neck, as he set off at a slight run back towards the base. It had taken them roughly a day to arrive at the Tsukiyo compound, and at this pace it would probably take them more to get back. She was sure Sasori would kill her if he got the slightest chance, and even worse than that , which really showed her just how much her priorities were screwed up, Asuka wasn't so sure she was comfortable being in such close proximity to Sasori.

* * *

She was not sure of how long they had been travelling. The numbness in her legs and the pain from her head meant that she had been dozing slightly when Sasori came to a stop, put her down, and jerked her awake.

"What's wrong?" she said groggily, still not fully alert. The feeling of dizziness had started to set in.

"Nothing. I'm tired out, and I can't go any further, we're going to have to spend the night out here."

She felt Sasori prod her leg.

"That isn't pieris. I'm not sure what it is, but it looks worse."

Still half asleep, Asuka shifted her head.

"Great."

Night had fallen, and Asuka fumbled inside her jacket to find matches as Sasori gather a few fallen branches and made them into a pile. Giving up on finding the matches, Asuka lit the pile with a spark of flame she summoned up through fire release jutsu. She did this without warning, and Sasori stumbled back as he jerked away from the flame that erupted out of Asuka's mouth. She raised her eyebrows at him then leant back against a tree and felt the side of her head again. The blood had stopped flowing and had matted into clumps. There was going to be an ugly scar there.

Without uttering a word, Sasori got up and walked to Asuka. He made the ox and tiger seals with his hand and a green shield of chakra encased them. He put his hands to Asuka's head and she could feel the scar closing up.

"I didn't know you knew medical ninjutsu."

"The art of puppeteering deals with the human body. It is vital to learn all one can about it before becoming a true puppet master."

Asuka inwardly shivered as she remembered her first encounter with Sasori inside his room. A few seconds later, Sasori stopped the flow of chakra to his hands and took a look at Asuka. The blood had all but cleared up, and the wound had closed, although it still left a scar, angrily zigzagging from her temple to her chin.

Sasori mentioned this as he moved back to his place by the fire. Asuka shrugged.

"It's not like I use my face for anything."

"Pity. You have a lovely face."

Asuka's eyebrows knitted together, but she quickly realised that this wasn't a compliment coming from Sasori. She nodded to him.

"So if you're a puppet, how come you can use chakra and stuff?"

Sasori smirked. "What on earth makes you think I'd let you know my only weak point?"

He stared into the fire then, and his smirk disappeared, leaving only a blank face.

Asuka regretted losing a chance to start a conversation with him, but didn't try to pursue it further and settled down to get some rest, but suddenly, it seemed Sasori had a change of heart and he continued the conversation.

"The difference between human puppets and normal puppets is that human puppets have reserves of chakra. They can use jutsu." Sasori tapped the left side of his torso. "For that to happen I leave an organ inside the body. So that the chakra can flow. Usually it's the heart."

Asuka felt slightly creeped out at the thought of organs.

"Can you feel stuff?"

Sasori shook his head, and when in the future, she would remember this conversation, Asuka would always swear that his voice somehow became sadder.

"No. I do not feel anything."

"That's terrible," said Asuka, taken aback. "I'd hate to live life with no feelings whatsoever."

Sasori lifted his head and stared straight at her.

"Not if you had no feelings even before … or if the feelings you felt were hurtful enough to make you want to become incapable of feeling." He gestured down at his body. "I had lost all feelings a long time before I became a puppet Asuka-san. Making myself into one of my creations only allowed me to become a stronger weapon." He turned back to the fire.

"I'll keep watch. I don't need to sleep, rest Asuka-san."

Asuka bit her lip. She was burning with curiosity to ask what had happened to Sasori to make him want to become as he was, but thought better of it. The conversation was at a close. Bidding him goodnight, Asuka leant back and closed her eyes and slept.

* * *

Some hours later, Asuka woke with the Sun's rays. Sasori too had rested through the night and informed Asuka that they would make it to the base in around four hours. He put the fire out, and kicked soil over it then picked Asuka up again. In this fashion, they made progress and, as Sasori had predicted, in just over four hours they were back at the base.

Sasori left Asuka in the kitchen which held a startled Kisame. As he left to send Kakuzu to Asuka, Kisame raised his eyebrows at Asuka, and to her horror, she blushed bright red.

"I can't walk."

"Yeah right. You're bright red, honestly you should see your face. If I didn't know better I would say that you and Saso-"

Thankfully Kakuzu entered at that moment. He roughly shoved an ointment at Asuka, instructed her to apply it to where the poison had first entered her body, then, almost gleefully informed her that because the poison was mixed with pieris, induced vomiting would soon take hold.

As he turned his back to leave Asuka flipped him off, then eagerly applied the cream. It was wonderful to feel the blood rushing back to her legs, and she shakily stood up.

"Anyway," said Kisame, "as I was saying-"

"No," said Asuka. She frowned at the ninja.

"Just shut up Kisame-kun," she said, and walked off to go and thank Sasori.

* * *

**~Seken**


	5. Endgame

**Author's Note**- **Last chapter ... yes :O. It's taken me so long to update this because I hate the way this particular chapter came out. But really I cannot _cannot_ seem to edit it anymore. Ending stories has always been my weak point. Also the Naruto chapter has Sasori featured again and I kind of freaked out ... :D. A****nyway, I just want to finish this story because I want to start on my next one (look at my profile for more on that :] ). I may re-write this though ... in the future...the _far_ future. **

**Thank you for your reviews :) *hint hint***

**Warning-**** You have _no_ idea how out of character Sasori acts here.**

**Disclaimer**- **The only thing that belongs to me here is Asuka. The rest belongs to Kishimoto-san.**

* * *

_"Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future ... eternal beauty" _  
_-Sasori Akasuna_

* * *

The days that followed went by normally, and Asuka got even more comfortable with the daily routine of the Akatsuki. She put the weird conversation that she had had with Sasori at the back of her mind, but she realised that his attitude towards her had changed slightly, and he seemed to be more cordial towards her. This was something Asuka appreciated greatly.

Of course, Deidara immediately hit on this.

"Hey Asuka-chan, you have a thing for Sasori-no danna, hmm?"

Asuka froze and dropped her fans, releasing the wall of earth she had been about to attack Deidara with. She frowned at the blonde.

"I do not. What makes you think that?"

"You're being nice to him."

Asuka huffed. "I'm nice to anyone who's nice to me, Deidara-kun. It's called respect."

Deidara shrugged. "You don't fool me Asuka-chan." He leaned towards her, a glint in his eye. "Don't you realise you blush around him, hmm?"

Asuka glared, turned and stalked off.

Ignoring Deidara, who was shouting at her to go back and resume their sparring, Asuka made her way back to her room. It wasn't so much Deidara making fun of her that bothered her, more than it was the fact that what he said was true. Asuka was human after all, and she admitted that she really did like Sasori. But that was where it had to end because, she told herself, he was a puppet and in no way could he ever reciprocate that feeling.

"As he made it very clear last time," she muttered to herself as she threw herself on her bed.

It was incredulous to think that Sasori could ever like her. Asuka closed her eyes, wondering if she would be allowed to sleep for a little while. Her thoughts immediately turned towards the current situation at the base. More than ever Leader appeared to be putting an emphasis on sending the Akatsuki out on missions that would bring them closer to capturing Jinchuuriki. Asuka hardly knew anything about this as she herself was not assigned a particular Jinchuuriki. Even so, she could understand that these missions were extremely important, and dangerous. Not that any mission the Akatsuki carried out was _not _risky. But the way all the members came back battered and bruised from such missions, worried Asuka slightly. Whilst they all regarded each other with some degree of animosity, Asuka had gotten used to having some of the Akatsuki members around.

The girl sighed and closed her eyes wondering if she would be allowed to get a few minutes of rest.

"ASUKA-CHAN!"

Apparently not.

Muttering darkly under her breath Asuka shoved herself off the bed and stuck her head out the door.

"I'm in here Tobi."

The masked ninja came running up to her, waggling his hands.

"Asuka-chan! Tobi-kun is hurt!"

"What happened Tobi?"

"Tobi-kun closed his fingers in the door! It hurts Asuka-chan!"

Asuka inspected the fingers Tobi offered her. They were purple and swollen.

"Don't worry Tobi the sweling will go down soon."

"But it hurts!"

Asuka rubbed the back of her head where she could feel a headache developing. She really, _really _wanted to sleep and the only way she was going to be able to do that was if she would shut Tobi up.

"Tobi stay in the room, I'll go and look for some ice. It will hurt less."

"Ok Asuka-chan. Tobi will stay in the room, Tobi is a good boy."

Asuka closed the door behind Tobi and set off towards the kitchen, wondering for the hundreth time exactly what Tobi was doing amongst a band of criminals. She shoved open the door of the kitchen and stamped her way to the freezer. The headache had arrived and she felt like taking it out on the furniture.

"Damn Tobi and his blasted fingers," she cursed as she searched in the freezer for an ice pack she could take back with her. Ice was falling into her hair, and her fingers were turning numb, yet there was no ice pack to be found.

"What exactly is it that you're looking for, Asuka-san?"

Asuka started and she turned round quickly, more ice falling down on top of her.

"Sasori-san?"

The ninja looked passively at her from his seat at the table. In front of him were a few jars filled with things Asuka did not want to take a second look at.

"I'm looking for ice. For Tobi. I'm sorry if I bothered you - "

"Not at all."

Usually if someone disturbed Sasori whilst he was working he kicked up much more of a fuss. Asuka herself had been the subject of a few of these tirades, so the calm response caught her off guard. She stared at Sasori who smirked. Asuka flushed slightly and turned back to rummaging in the freezer.

"Your cheek hasn't healed yet."

Asuka shrugged. She had finally located an ice pack towards the very back and was pulling out of the freezer.

"Kakuzu-san said its going to leave a mark. You said so yourself though, during the mission."

"True. And again I shall say, it is such a pity. I could erase it for you."

Closing the freezer door Asuka turned and looked at the ninja.

"How?"

Sasori's smirk widened and he advanced towards Asuka. She took a step back, but found her way blocked by the freezer unit behind her. The cold seeped into her back but the look on Sasori's face bothered her more.

"All my puppets have smooth skin."

"No! Sasori-san ... we've gone over this, I am not going to accept becoming a puppet."

"My puppets will last for ever. True beauty for eternity."

A thought occured to Asuka.

"If you really wanted to make me into a puppet, I'm sure you would have done so long ago. As you've been quick to point out you're more powerful than I am," snapped Asuka, eyeing the door.

"Leader-sama would not be happy about it, unless you told him it was by your own consent."

"I don't believe it. Since when have you respected what the Leader says?"

The smirk on Sasori's face disappeared and he lowered his head.

"I don't think I wish to make you into a puppet Asuka-san. To be honest, I am not sure." He tapped the cylinder above his chest that contained his heart. "Over the years the puppet has taken over the human inside of me, yet I can still feel emotions somewhat. Truly I cannot understand what I feel around you."

Asuka turned her full gaze to the ninja, who had stepped even closer. She wasn't sure what to make of what she had just heard and she wasn't even sure that she wasn't hallucinating. Sasori was acting completely out of character.

"Well it cannot be love," she said bitterly, "the only thing you love is your art."

"What makes you say that?"

She huffed. "You've given up everything for your art. Your village, your family, your body, feelings, emotions, you've given up everything just to become a we-"

But she couldn't continue as Sasori pressed his lips to hers. The small part of Asuka's brain that hadn't frozen in shock registered curiously that even though his lips were wooden, they still felt like a human's. In the shock she dropped the ice pack that landed on her toe, and she stepped back, parting both of them. Sasori regarded her with his usual indifference.

"You're crazy."

"My art is not the only thing I care for Asuka-san."

The girl bit her lip and she shakily picked up the ice pack again. She wasn't sure what she had to say now and there was silence in the kitchen.

"Sasori-"

"ASUKA-CHAN!"

And for the first time since she had joined the Akatsuki, Asuka cheered that Tobi had developed an attachment to her.

Sasori frowend and turned towards the door as Tobi came bounding in. He shrugged, cast a glance at Asuka and returned to his table. Tobi ran to Asuka who wordlessly took his fingers and pressed them to the ice pack.

* * *

What had happened in the kitchen still did not clear things up for Asuka. In fact they confused her even more. She still was not sure exactly what she was to Sasori, who for all intents and purposes seemed to be concentrating solely on his puppets. When he was not away from the base with Deidara, he was locked up in his room, working at his trade. Then he would emerge, his face emotionless as always, so Asuka could never know exactly what he was thinking, and for a short time she would have some of his attention. Then he would bring back a new ninja to turn into a puppet, or figure out a new way of attaching broken joints, or something to the like, and he would disappear again. And Asuka, who had always been sure of herself, felt for the first time at a loss as to what exactly she was to do. She hated, no _loathed_ having to take second place to his art, even though Sasori swear she was not. But truth spoke for itself, and Asuka knew that if Sasori ever had to choose between the two, she was not the priority.

Even so, looking back Asuka would remember the time fondly. There was an attraction between Sasori and her that she could not ignore, and when he was not obsessing over the puppets, she enjoyed his company and his interest.

But it all came apart soon enough.

It was morning some day during a week wherein Sasori had been acting quite courteously. Asuka had ripped her cloak from the arm to the hem on her last mission and she sat at the kitchen table trying to sew it.

She was failing miserably. Beside her, Deidara yawned and stretched backwards over his seat.

"I hate it when Leader-sama wakes us up really early for a mission, yeah," he muttered, letting his head fall onto his arms on the table in front of him.

Asuka "hmmed" sympathetically but didn't allow her concentration to waver from the cloak in her hands. Asuka was no needle woman, and she had asked Kakuzu for a new one. Instead he gave her a needle and thread, and told her to mend it. The only problem was that she didn't know how and consequently had only managed to prick her fingers and use her entire reservoir of swear words, which had been expanded greatly thanks to Hidan.

Deidara looked on in amusement as Asuka tried to get the thread back into the needle's eye.

"You're never gonna mend that." Asuka scowled at him.

"Shut up."

The door banged behind her, and the needle slipped from her grasp and stuck itself into her finger. She yelped, shook her hand and watched the needle fall to the floor.

"I give up," she sighed, throwing the cloak onto the table and frowning at the offending needle. Hopefully Kisame would take pity on her and help her. Asuka turned to see who had entered the kitchen behind her.

Sasori calmly looked at both Deidara and Asuka.

"Come on Deidara. We have a mission."

Pushing his chair backwards Deidara stood up and stretched.

"Where are we going Sasori-san?"

"Sunagakure. It seems that Leader-sama thinks it is time we go after the One Tail Shukaku."

Deidara's eyes gleamed at this news and he hurried out to pick up his cloak and weapons from his room. Asuka felt her stomach drop slightly. She turned to follow Sasori as he cleared an area in the middle of the room, and began taking out the scroll to summon Hiruko.

"Sunagakure is pretty far away."

Sasori's face remained devoid of emotion, but he turned slightly to look at her.

"It is where Deidara and I shall find the One Tail."

Asuka bit her lip, set her mouth in a tight line and turned her attention back to the cloak before her. She felt absolutely silly. This mission was no more dangerous than any of the other missions the Akatsuki had been sent on, and the retrieval of the Tailed Beasts was what the Akatsuki members were constantly working on.

That said, she couldn't shake off the foreboding feeling she had that was sending chills up her body.

Behind her she felt Sasori move forwards. Asuka turned and awkwardly found herself just a few inches away from Sasori. His face was cold and impassive just as always, there was no emotion in his eyes, yet there was an unusual smirk on his lips.

"You seem to be worried Asuka-san."

Flustered Asuka shrugged and made to move away but in a flash Sasori had caught her arm and pressed her back against the table.

"You think I won't be coming back," he said, and there was a hint of humour in his voice. Asuka's face was red by this time but she pushed back at him.

"Don't flatter yourself Sasori-san."

The shinobi's smirk disappeared and his face fell back to one void of expression. He lifted his hand and ran his fingers up Asuka's cheek.

"Why are you so worried ?"

The simplicity of the question disarmed Asuka. She stopped struggling and allowed herself to look fully at Sasori.

"Your obsession ... If something goes wrong, all you care about is your art. You're not bothered whether you live or die Sasori-san ..."

"And you are?"

She had no answer to that.

Sasori sighed and drew back, as Deidara's calling drifted over to the two.

"Try not to worry Asuka-san. My art is my life, but I doubt I will encounter any ninja that are powerful enough to even bring me out of Hiruko, and even if that were to happen, there is chance of me getting hurt."

Asuka nodded, but the feeling was still there.

"Goodbye Sasori-san. Best of luck."

"Till we come back, Asuka-san."

And with that, Asuka pushed her way past Deidara and ran to her room, hoping to find Tobi there who could distract her from her apprehension.

* * *

_"You bastard."_

_When Deidara had come back and informed of what had happened she had said nothing. There was no emotion left inside of her ... it was as if in the end she had become just like him. _

_She knelt down and moved his head to the side. Eternal art. He would forever remain that way. The temptation to become art himself had been too great in the end. Art had been what he loved. She had been foolish to think otherwise. _

_Soon Zetsu would come to collect the body and the ring. _

_Soon the entire Akatsuki would be called to a meeting by the Leader._

_Then…then Deidara would find a new partner. _

_Soon the entire Akatsuki would be called to a meeting by the Leader._

_They would need to find a new replacement for him._

_Soon the entire Akatsuki would be called to a meeting by the Leader._

_Soon she would be missed. _

_They would have to find a new replacement for her._

_

* * *

_

**And oui that is it. I'm sorry it was so bad XD ... but really I could never have imagined how hard it would be to write romance for Sasori. Its impossible!**

**Updates regarding my new story on my profile :) **

**~Seken**


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